It was at 1 pm on Tuesday, June 23, that Yvan Bourgnon reached the port of Ouistreham Riva Bella after an incredible journey around the world, full of trials and tribulations, but also of joy and happiness. This adventurer could have given up several times, or even not taken part in the adventure, but that would have been to misunderstand this veteran of ocean racing and sport catamarans. He left on October 5, 2013 from Les Sables-d'Olonne, with a teammate, but abandoned the adventure as soon as the first of the 20 stopovers. By dint of perseverance, he met his challenge of completing his 55,000 km journey on a boat barely 6 meters long, without technical and weather assistance or GPS. In all, he sailed in 3 oceans and 13 seas, made 20 stopovers, faced 7 storms, experienced 1 grounding and 2 capsizings, spent 12 hours a day at the helm, slept 30 minutes every 6 hours, ate 420 freeze-dried meals and used 30 tubes of solar cream!
He never let himself be destabilized either the time he fell overboard in the middle of the Pacific, in February 2014, having to save himself with his harness, or when, in August 2014, exhausted by 19 days of monsoon, his boat ran aground on the Sri Lankan coast and the catamaran had to be rebuilt, partly destroyed. This specialist of extreme raids could have thought his adventure was over, but he bounced back. " When I ran aground, when my boat was dislocated, when I had a herniated disc, when some sponsors stopped, I said to myself that the adventure was over." he confided to Le Parisien. And the list of his adventures does not end there, in April 2014, he hit a reef and tore ligaments in his arm, which must remain immobilized 2 months or when, in April 2015, in the Gulf of Alden, he was approached at night by pirates and hid in a shadowy corner created by the powerful spotlight shone on the boat.
Upon his arrival, a welcoming committee, composed of several hundred people, his relatives and his two sons, paid a beautiful tribute to the adventurer. Today, the navigator will have to relearn how to live normally, which may be difficult. The one who confides having "afraid it will end" has already planned to leave for 3 weeks this summer with his children on board his louloute. And it is with a head already full of new projects that he will take advantage of his next few weeks to find his loved ones and share his story with them. His next challenges? To sail around the world against the wind single-handed aboard a maxi-multihull and to sail around Antarctica on his catamaran.
Relive the adventure of Yvan Bourgnon on the Voyage channel
Starting September 21, 2015, every Monday at 9:30 pm, relive the adventure of Yvan Bourgnon. You will be able to follow his sailing journey on his sport catamaran without assistance. These videos were filmed by Yvan himself, who wanted to share his daily life, his impressions, his relationship with his pet and his difficulties.
